Embargoed for publication until 00.01am Friday 6th December 2019
12 MILLION CHRISTMAS JUMPERS SET TO BE BOUGHT THIS YEAR AND MOST ARE MADE OF PLASTIC •
1 in 3 under 35s buy a new Christmas jumper every year
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2 in 5 will only be worn once over the festive period
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Environmental charity urges buying second-hand and swapping with friends
As Christmas Jumper Day approaches on Friday 13th December, millions of Britons are set to scour the shops for the perfect Christmas jumper to help make celebrations with colleagues, family and friends instagram-worthy. Research1 released today [6th December 2019] by environmental charity Hubbub suggests we’re set to buy 12 million2 new Christmas jumpers this year, despite there already being 65 million3 stashed away in our wardrobes from previous years. The Christmas jumper is one of the worst examples of fast fashion, which is now recognised for the huge environmental damage it causes. Two out of five Christmas jumpers are only worn once over the festive period, and yet one in three under 35s buy a new Christmas jumper every year. Now Hubbub is warning of a new threat posed by Christmas jumpers due to their high plastic content. Only 29% of those surveyed realised that most Christmas jumpers contain plastic. However, research conducted by Hubbub into 108 jumpers available this year from 11 different high street and online retailers found that 95% of were made wholly or partly of plastic materials. That means the 12 million new jumpers set to be bought this year will add to the plastic pollution crisis and the health concerns that come with this. The most common plasic fibre used is acrylic, which was found in three quarters of the jumpers tested, with 44% made entirely from acrylic. This makes the typical Christmas jumper likely to add to the issue of plastic pollution in our oceans. A study by Plymouth University found that acrylic was responsible for releasing nearly 730,000 microfibres per wash, five times more than polyester-cotton blend fabric, and nearly 1.5 times as many as pure polyester.